Chapter 25: How Do You Plan To Force Me?
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo clearly disliked this kind of poultry, especially since it was dead. It looked eerie. Probably, she was worried that the gruesome sight of the chicken's death would be seen by Ruan Yesheng. Xi Mo frowned and adjusted the umbrella's fabric to cover it completely.
Ruan Yesheng's emotions were also eased by Xi Mo's little action. She paused and said softly, "I'm not afraid."
Xi Mo looked around. Fortunately, everyone was gathered by the opening ceremony. The place is relatively remote, so no one has noticed it yet, but it will be difficult to delay it any longer. People in the media industry are all thieves, they can smell the slightest wind blowing the grass.
"Let's move away a bit," Xi Mo turned and walked under the eaves of the corridor.
Ruan Yesheng nodded, looking obedient as she followed behind. Xi Mo turned her head, still holding the chicken, and gave her a cool look. It felt like Ruan Yesheng was usually as cunning as a fox, but now she was as well-behaved as a rabbit. Perhaps she had a dual personality.
She knows to spot one, and she thinks she is quite self-aware of her precise ranking.
The Deng Family's garden had many corridors. The two of them rested by a large vermilion pillar. Xi Mo quickly tossed the umbrella wrapped around the chicken to the side, looking displeased.
She lowered her head to examine her costume again. Fortunately, there was no blood on it, otherwise, it would be troublesome to start shooting in the afternoon.
Ruan Yesheng remained silent all this time and seemed to be preoccupied. The incident just now seemed to have had an unusually large impact on her.
After a lot of searching, Xi Mo finally managed to extract a bit of a comforting awareness that she had never experienced in her life before. Her voice, without much fluctuation, said, "It's just a prank. You've never seen a dead chicken before? You've probably eaten chicken meat too."
Only then did Ruan Yesheng respond: "You really don't know how to comfort people."
Xi Mo sneered: "Then what would be considered comforting? Do you want me to hug you?
Ruan Yesheng stared at her intently.
Xi Mo was suddenly covered in goosebumps from her intense stare. With that piercing gaze, she almost thought Ruan Yesheng wanted her to hold her. Trying not to show any change in expression, Xi Mo shifted two steps on tiptoe.
"Did you twist your foot?" Ruan Yesheng tilted her head and asked.
"No."
Ruan Yesheng continued to fix her gaze on Xi Mo's feet. When she saw Xi Mo's lack of response, her gaze shifted towards the direction of the wall they were by earlier. Her expression seemed distant. "No one would pull a prank like this at such a time and place."
Xi Mo didn't answer for the time being.
In fact, of course, she knew in her heart that this was not an ordinary prank. People nowadays are not so bored. Anyway, the opening ceremony of the film crew is being held here, and all the people present are famous people in society, as well as security personnel and the media. Nobody would be foolish enough to play a prank on such a juncture unless he wanted to attract attention on purpose. However, if the intention was to grab attention, there was no need to discreetly choose a remote location, hide behind a wall, toss the dead chicken, and then vanish immediately afterward. This contradicted logic.
From the beginning to the end of this incident, there was such an indescribable weirdness. When she mentioned the prank, it was just an attempt to comfort Ruan Yesheng, to make her believe that it was a minor issue and not to be overly concerned. But judging by the reaction, Ruan Yesheng was very sensitive to this matter. Since Ruan Yesheng herself made it clear first, Xi Mo no longer hesitated. After thinking about it, she just said: "You asked me before if I saw any strange things. So you must have seen one yourself? What have you seen?"
Ruan Yesheng fell silent for a moment and then proceeded to recount the incident of seeing the dark shadow beneath the tree last night.
After Xi Mo listened, she frowned and pondered for a while, and said, "After all, you didn't see it clearly at the time, it was just a dark figure. For now, we can't be sure about anything."
"I believe in my instincts. I feel that there's something wrong with that dark figure." Ruan Yesheng looked into Xi Mo's eyes. "Would you believe me?"
Her gaze was like a whirlpool.
Xi Mo's lips moved slightly: "I believe in facts and logical deductions."
Ruan Yesheng smiled. She was not surprised that she didn't get the answer she wanted to hear. Because some extravagant hopes have been suppressed for too long, they will gradually retreat to the budding state for self-protection, and then be covered with a layer of soil. She had this thought, but if she didn't get it, she wouldn't feel much about it either. She allowed her hopes to spontaneously dwindle into faintness, perhaps to prevent herself from feeling overly disappointed.
She said, "That's quite the style of answer I'd expect from you."
Xi Mo has always been very organized and continued: "Although we can't be sure without a clear view, it's worth paying attention to. Since you feel that the dark shadow is suspicious, let's assume that someone is following and monitoring. Perhaps the incident just now was also the work of the same person. The accuracy when they threw the chicken just now indicates thorough preparation. If that's the case, the purpose of the other party might be intimidation. However, we were standing together just now, so it's hard to determine the target given the overlap. So, who exactly was he trying to intimidate?"
She changed the topic and glanced at Ruan Yesheng: "I simply hate this kind of behavior, but I'm not afraid."
Ruan Yesheng just kept smiling and let her judge.
"You were scared just now. Do you think he was targeting you?" Xi Mo's voice lowered. "Given your personality, a sudden dead chicken shouldn't have frightened you like that. You're not that weak. So, has something similar happened before? Or did you offend someone?"
It seems that Xi Mo now understands Ruan Yesheng's cautiousness in details and her vague sensitivity before.
Ruan Yesheng puckered her lips and smiled. "So, you know about my personality? I didn't expect you to care about me so much."
Xi Mo remained indifferent.
As if she had just awakened to something more crucial, she suddenly looked a bit dazed.
"Yes." Ruan Yesheng knew that once Xi Mo noticed it, according to her serious and clear logical way of thinking, and the current situation, some things were no longer suitable for concealment. She said straightforwardly, "There was some trouble before. It calmed down for a long time, but when that thing happened just now, I thought the trouble had come back to find me."
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
However, Xi Mo was still immersed in that thought and did not recover.
Now that their bodies have been swapped, she has suddenly turned into Ruan Yesheng. This secret only exists between the two of them, and no one else knows about it. If Ruan Yesheng really said that she was worried that the previous troubles would come back, then the target of the dead chicken just now should be… her in Ruan Yesheng's body.
Ruan Yesheng herself is no longer the target.
Then why is she still in such a panic?
Is it a conditioned reflex to feel scared because of the previous shadow?
Xi Mo's face was sullen, and her heart suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Could it be that she's worried about me becoming the target in her place...
...Illusion.
...This must be an illusion.
Xi Mo said coldly: "Then what are you afraid of? If it was really some dirty person in the past who was looking for trouble to scare you, now I am blocking the gun. You are not the same as before. Who would recognize you?"
Ruan Yesheng purposely acted as if suddenly enlightened like a dream: "That's right, why didn't I think of it, I'm so stupid."
Xi Mo: "..."
It's completely an illusion!
Xi Mo suddenly felt unreasonable displeasure again, with a cold expression: "What kind of trouble did you get into before? Why would someone use this method to intimidate you?"
"In this world, who hasn't had some big or small troubles?" Ruan Yesheng tilted her head slightly, her expression becoming more reserved, "Now that you know I've had troubles before, you must be cautious, pay attention to everything, and if you notice anything wrong, tell the people around you. Tinghuan is my friend; you can trust her."
"May I ask what the trouble is?" Xi Mo said.
Ruan Yesheng shook her head: "Maybe it's hard for you to believe, but most of the time I myself... don't quite understand. I have been trying to deal with it, but even now, I don't even know who is causing the trouble. Things always come out of nowhere."
Xi Mo noticed that her gaze was very serious, carrying a hint of complex distress. Perhaps there were reasons she couldn't easily reveal, so Xi Mo didn't press further.
Ruan Yesheng said softly, "I'll try to find a way to switch back with you as soon as possible."
Xi Mo's gaze drifted.
Maybe she had become accustomed to Ruan Yesheng's usual pretentious cunning and antics, but this sudden seriousness, accompanied by a somewhat vulnerable and soft-hearted aura, was a bit unsettling for her.
"It's nothing." Xi Mo shrugged it off. "I'm not like other people. I'm not about to be scared by a chicken."
"Aren't you in a hurry now? Weren't you practically strangling me before, desperate to force me to switch back?"
"Is it useful to force you?" Xi Mo casually remarked. "If forcing you were useful, I would have been forcing you every day."
A mysterious blush spread across Ruan Yesheng's face, and her watery eyes gazed at Xi Mo with a hint of flirtation.
"How do you plan to force me?"
Xi Mo: "..."
Why are you blushing?!
Perhaps due to being too agitated, she found herself getting inexplicably warmer. The cooling sensation brought on by the previous calmness was evaporated by the scorching sun, and her whole body seemed to be full of smoke.
Ruan Yesheng suddenly turned her head, and Xi Mo followed her gaze and saw Liu Yusi pass by at some point, fanning vigorously with a prop palace fan in her hand, and her eyes were slanting towards her.
Liu Yusi had done everything she could think of to get Yan Mu's attention, but he hadn't shown any interest in her. On the first day, this woman who seemed to have passed her prime managed to catch Yan Mu's attention, which made Liu Yusi feel quite uneasy. She didn't even bother to give Xi Mo a proper look and just smiled at Ruan Yesheng, saying, "Sister Xi, what are you doing here?"
Ruan Yesheng said without any fluctuations: "Cooling down."
"It's quite cool here." Liu Yusi obviously wanted to continue to flirt: "Didn't Director Lin invite you to take a photo?"
"I already did."
After a few exchanges, Ruan Yesheng's responses were as cold as if they had just come out of a refrigerator, emitting a chilly air. Liu Yusi had also heard that this big name's temperament could be difficult to approach. This time, her attempt to make a friendly conversation ended up tasteless, and there was nothing she could do about it. She fanned herself with the prop folding fan and looked around. Suddenly, she noticed a collapsed umbrella on the ground nearby.
"Oh my god, why is there blood flowing out of this umbrella?" Liu Yusi's voice exclaimed with a little pretentious exaggeration.
Xi Mo felt like Liu Yusi's overpowering makeup fragrance was about to suffocate her. With an indifferent expression, she couldn't be bothered to respond to her.
"What exactly is it?" Liu Yusi's curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to lean in for a closer look."
A dead thing," Xi Mo replied.
Liu Yusi: "..."
Liu Yusi gathered her courage and opened the umbrella to take a look. Having never touched a chicken in her life, let alone slaughtered one, she was naturally startled by the sight. "Why did you put a dead chicken in here?"
A popular movie queen and an outdated actress, along with a dead chicken by their side; this combination in Liu Yusi's eyes ultimately converged into the word "abnormal."
Fearing that she would misunderstand and gossip, Xi Mo held the corner of her lips and smiled at Liu Yusi: It's just a midday snack. I'm killing a chicken to eat. I don't feel like eating at a restaurant; I prefer the taste of homemade."
Her heart says: leave.
The boxed lunch is unpalatable. Indeed, many people in the crew would choose to cook themselves. Liu Yusi didn't think much about it, she just said, "Why are you still killing the chicken yourself?"
Xi Mo put on an appearance of being helpless and delicate as if she were an orphan with no one to care for her. "Miss Liu, I only have one manager by my side, and she's not reliable, often napping. I have to handle everything myself."
Hurry up and leave.
Liu Yusi delved into the matter, she was probably an eager student during her school days, to the point where her teachers might have grown tired of her questions. "But if you're killing the chicken, why not do it in the kitchen? Why come here?"
Xi Mo waved her hand, putting on a show that was as dramatic as ever. She said, "Here's the thing, I originally borrowed a small kitchen. But unexpectedly, the chicken escaped my attention and ran off. It ended up here, and I followed it all the way. I was so anxious, you can't even imagine. Then, I bumped into Xi Mo and her bodyguard Gu Qisong here. Gu Qisong quickly caught the chicken for me, and while he was at it, he went ahead and killed it too. He's a special forces soldier after all, with a clean and swift cut. He even lent me an umbrella to wrap it up. That way, I can carry the chicken and go pluck its feathers directly. Comrade Gu Qisong is truly like a living Lei Feng*."
*was a soldier in the People's Liberation Army portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao Zedong
You're still not leaving?!
Ruan Yesheng nodded lightly with a straight face, indicating that she was a witness.
Xi Mo said to Liu Yusi again, "Are you going to ask me where Gu Qisong has gone? The chicken was bloodied. He washed his hands and will be back in a while. We are waiting for him here. "
Are you going or not?
Liu Yusi looked up and happened to see a man walking over from a distance. It was precisely Gu Qisong. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that not much of her IQ was left. Upon reflection, it seemed to make sense, well-reasoned and convincing. Besides, it wasn't a big deal. She said, "Sister Xi, I'm heading over there. Enjoy the breeze here at your own pace. Let's chat when you're free."
Ruan Yesheng nodded, and Liu Yusi left with the fan.
After the plague god left, Ruan Yesheng rolled her eyes and smiled, "You're pretty good at talking."
"You're good at pretending too." Xi Mo replied to her.
Gu Qisong walked over with a sullen face, and said solemnly to Ruan Yesheng, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch them."
At that time, Gu Qisong was some distance away. By the time he reacted and dealt with the chicken and climbed out of the wall, the person behind the wall had already run away. Ruan Yesheng hadn't held much hope to begin with, only asking, "Did you see anything?"
"I did. It was hard to see clearly from a distance, but the figure looked slim and wore a duckbill cap, like a woman."
Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng looked at him at the same time: "A woman?"
Gu Qisong said: "She runs very fast and is very familiar with the surrounding environment. Don't worry, I will continue to investigate. There may be surveillance on the nearby roads. I will inquire later."
Ruan Yesheng thought for a moment and said, "Go tell Lu Qingming to arrange a few more people to keep an eye on things."
"He already knows and is dealing with it."
"Don't spread this matter publicly for now. Keep it low-key and observe quietly."
Gu Qisong nodded.
Ruan Yesheng asked Gu Qisong to take the chicken back to Lu Qingming to see if he could investigate any details. After this turmoil, Xi Mo was in no mood at all. Until the opening ceremony was over and everyone left, Ruan Yesheng stayed by Xi Mo's side not far or near to ensure that Xi Mo could be within her sight.
Even so, work still has to continue.
The schedule was very tight. After lunch and rest for a while, the crew assembled at the Deng's Mansion, ready to start filming.
To save resources and expenses, TV dramas basically use a scene-focused shooting mode. How convenient is it? First, all the scenes within a location are filmed before moving to the next one. The shooting order doesn't follow the chronological order of the script, and the final editing is what holds the story together. This rapid transition often leads to scenes where characters barely have time to exchange a glance before suddenly getting married in the next scene.
The weather was unbearably hot, the crew on the set was busy, and there were equipment and people everywhere, intensifying the stifling atmosphere.
Ruan Yesheng sat under an umbrella while the makeup artist touched up her makeup. Feng Tangtang was busy fanning her nearby. Lin Qitang called over Xi Mo to brief them on their scenes. "Today's scenes are all set at the Deng Mansion. You two have many scenes together, especially the one on the swing. At this point, Deng Sui hasn't entered the palace yet and is relatively naive. Having grown up under Ding'e's protection, she's heavily dependent on her. This is your first collaboration, so take some time to get used to each other and find the right chemistry."
Ruan Yesheng hadn't managed to take a nap during lunch, and her eyes were a bit tired. However, when she faced Lin Qitang, she managed to appear more spirited. While she touched up her makeup, she occasionally communicated with him.
After the explanation was roughly finished, Lin Qitang looked at Xi Mo again: "As for you, Ruan Yesheng, you have to be by the side when Xi Mo is having a scene, make sure to stay by her side and pay attention to your own actions. Even during scenes without lines, your expressions need to be on point. There will be close-up shots, and pay attention to your positioning."
"Okay, Director Lin." Xi Mo pretended to be humble on the surface and nodded repeatedly.
When the camera positions were ready and the actors were in place, Lin Qitang sat in front of the monitor and signaled for the start. The clapper clapped the slate and filming began.
